Thoughts of a Master
by RaiLei
Summary: oneshot. While travelling throughout Unova, Ash wonders if he's on the right path, his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master wavering as he thinks about his friends accomplishments.


It was another night in the many forests of Unova, this time somewhere between Driftveil City and Irricus Town. A campfire crackled quietly in the clearing, a dim light emitted from the dying embers. Dark eyes looked across the clearing, sighing as they leaned back on their palms.

Sometimes, Ash wondered what he was doing.

He scratched Pikachu's head absently, his mind a mile away from the Unova forest. Cilan and Iris weren't too far away, the two curled up in their sleeping bags, unaware of their friends' turmoil.

Ash had been in Unova for six months now, had five badges, and two new travelling companions, but . . .

How many more years would he have to travel?

Unova was his sixth continent, had plenty of Pokémon to his name, but eight years later and he was still sitting in the same spot. Inwardly, it made him cringe, it seemed that all his friends were more accomplished then he was.

Tracey had been the first of the group to leave, the Pokémon Watcher finally meeting his hero; Professor Oak. It hadn't taken the teen long to decide to stay in Pallet Town, working underneath the Professor. The last time they were at a Poké Mart, he had noticed one of Tracey's drawings in the book Cilan was reading.

Misty had left next in order to look after the Cerulean City gym, while her sisters went on their summer cruise. Sure, Misty had always claimed that she wanted to be the _Water Pokémon Master_ – something she had yet to accomplish. However, the red head tended to star in her sisters' Underwater Plays, now famous for another reason. It always caught him by surprise to see Misty standing happily beside her sisters; although her outfit remained less girlish then theirs.

May Maple had come and gone, now a rising star in the Coordinator scene, as she came first in the Johto Competition. The Television at the previous Pokémon Center had been on the Celebrity news channel, the reporter stated that May Maple was currently on vacation in Fiore with fellow Coordinators Drew Reilly and Solidad Trinity. No doubt Harley wasn't far from the other three. The last video chat he had with May, the brunette said that Max would soon be starting out on his Pokémon journey as well.

Dawn Diamond had joined up with him and Brock in Sinnoh; the blue haired girl wishing to be a Coordinator as well. However, Dawn's plans hit a snag as her career as a Coordinator failed to take off and then she met Gary Oak. Soon after that, Dawn had changed paths, deciding to become a researcher aide to the young Oak instead.

Then, he found out that Brock was going to be leaving as well. Brock, who'd been there for everything, had travelled with him since Kanto, was leaving to become a Pokémon Doctor after one of the many Nurse Joy's had commented on his skills with Pokémon. Ash also had a feeling that Brock wanted to become a Doctor so that he could become closer to the Nurse Joy's.

Ash shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts of his friends. Sighing, he leaned back in his sleeping bag, subconsciously scratching Pikachu's head again. Try as he might, all his thoughts kept chasing each other around in his mind, refusing to let the dark haired teen rest.

Even his current companions, their silhouettes visible in the dim light, seemed more accomplished then himself. Cilan was one of the Gym Leaders of Striaton City and a connoisseur in more things than Ash could name. As for Iris, she was a self-proclaimed Dragon Master, although the purple haired girl seemed to still have some secrets up her sleeves. For instance, he still didn't know where the Village of Dragons was located.

"Pika?" Ash jolted out of his thoughts, Pikachu having woken up.

"Hey buddy," Ash said, trying to keep his voice down. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing, wanting to become a Pokémon Master . . ."

With the exception of Tracey and May, everyone else had changed their career paths. Maybe it was time for him too . . .

"Ash?" Iris said, her voice sleepy. "What are you still doing up? We have an early morning; Irricus City is right around the corner."

"I know Iris, I was just thinking about things from the past."

Iris let out a laugh, shaking her head. "You're such a kid. There's no point thinking about things that have already happened, it's all worked out the way that it was supposed to."

"Hmm . . . maybe," Ash shrugged, his mind still turning. "We'll see what happens then, I guess."

He would finish off his journey in Unova, three more badges and he would be able to partake in the Unova championships. After that, it was up in the air.

####

A/N: This idea came when talking about Pokémon with a group of friends and how Ash is always going to regions for badges, but never gets any closer to becoming a Master. The one thing he did notice though was that at each championship he's in, he always ranks closer to the Number One spot. I think in Sinnoh, he finished in the top three or so. So, it makes you wonder what would happen after the Unova championships.


End file.
